|
|
|
In January 2004, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority developed and implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS) through a Port EMS Assistance Project that was a partnership effort with American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF) for eleven ports to develop and EMS modeled after the ISO 14001 Standard. An EMS is a set of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze, control, and improve the environmental consequences of its activities. The development and implementation took two years to complete and since that time PCCA has been maintaining an award-winning EMS program.
On November 17, 2005, the PCCA EMS Program was a recipient of the 2005 Coastal Bend Bays Foundation environmental conservation and environmental stewardship award in the business and industry category. The program recognizes and honors outstanding Coastal Bend citizens, educators, businesses, governing bodies and other entities that have made significant contributions to protecting our natural resources, habitats and native species in the Coastal Bend. On January 17, 2006, the PCCA EMS Program was again recognized by the Texas A&M Pollution Prevention Partnership for its environmental management program for reducing air emissions from diesel equipment. Key Reasons for Adopting an EMS Significant Aspects, Objectives & Targets, And Environmental Management Programs Benefits From Implementing An EMS Lessons Learned During Development The PCCA selected port-operated facilities for its fence line, to include the Bulk Terminal, the Cold Storage Facility, and the Maintenance Facility. These facilities are not geographically adjacent, but PCCA personnel operate each of them.
The Maintenance Facility consists of several buildings, open storage, hazardous and non-hazardous waste storage areas, a vehicle and equipment fueling area, and a covered vehicle and equipment wash area. Vehicle and equipment maintenance and repairs occur inside the buildings. Maintenance personnel are also responsible for janitorial services to all port facilities and grounds maintenance on all PCCA properties including some leased properties. The Maintenance fleet includes gasoline-, diesel- and propane-powered tractors and associated lawn equipment, front-end loaders, dump trucks, cranes, and forklifts. The fence line of the EMS program includes the port operations and activities conducted by port personnel or port contractors within the fence line as described above. Longshoreman operations that occur at the Cold Storage and Bulk Terminal in conjunction with port operations are not included in the EMS fence line. The maintenance and repairs on port infrastructure, janitorial maintenance, and grounds maintenance conducted by port personnel or port contractors throughout the port area and not specifically within the three mentioned facilities are included in the EMS fence line, although the physical location is not included in the EMS program. A requirement of an EMS Program is to develop an environmental policy that states the intentions and principles in relation to the overall performance of the organization. The environmental policy is the commitment that directs PCCA in its environmental management. Environmental Policy (pdf)
The EMS Program is supported by Senior Management, guided by a Steering Committee, and facilitated by an Environmental Management Representative (EMR), a Core Team and a Site Implementation Team. Senior Management consists of PCCA’s Executive Staff including the Directors and Deputy Directors for each department. The Steering Committee is comprised of the Director of Operations, Deputy Director of Engineering, Environmental Coastal Planner, and the Facility Managers for the facilities within the EMS fence line. The EMR is the PCCA’s Environmental Compliance Manager. The Core Team is comprised of volunteers from the shop floor of the facilities within the EMS fence line that can provide a broad representation of the activities that occur and the employees within the EMS fence line. The Core Team is made up of a Senior Maintenance Worker and a Maintenance Worker from the Maintenance Facility, the Plant Engineer, a Warehouse Lead, and a Forklift Operator/Dock Worker from the Cold Storage Facility, and an Operator/Maintenance Technician from the Bulk Terminal. The Site Implementation Teams consist of volunteers from the shop floor from each of the facilities within the EMS fence line that represent specific program areas and assist the Core Team with implementation of the EMS. The teams comprised of volunteers from the shop floor are periodically substituted. All other employees in the organization are responsible for being aware of the EMS program and the specific roles and responsibilities as documented in the EMS policies, procedures, and Environmental Management Programs (EMPs). Key Reasons for Adopting an EMS The PCCA intended to develop an EMS for several reasons. Port staff wanted to integrate the existing individual environmental programs under a single framework. PCCA also wanted to create a culture of environmental awareness am The PCCA currently has representation in various community organizations aimed at pollution prevention and environmental awareness. The PCCA wanted to demonstrate to the public and the regulatory community, the commitment within the PCCA of environmental protection and pollution prevention by developing an EMS. Long term with the development of an EMS, the PCCA expects to see an improvement in environmental performance. With an improvement in environmental performance relationships with the regulatory agencies and the community would continue to improve. PCCA believes that this would then improve their confidence in PCCA business and stewardship of the environment. PCCA also anticipates that a successful EMS at our facility would enhance customer satisfaction, thereby bringing more business and diversity to our port. Significant Aspects, Objectives & Targets, And Environmental Management Programs A significant aspect is an environmental aspect resulting from our operations and activities that we have prioritized for managing. PCCA currently has identified 15 significant aspects and developed Environmental Management Programs (EMPs) to manage the environmental impacts of each of those significant aspects. PCCA has also identified four objectives and targets for reducing the environmental impacts. Objectives and Targets (pdf) Benefits From Implementing An EMS PCCA has experienced numerous qualitative benefits from developing and implementing an EMS that cannot be directly related to a dollar amount saved. The qualitative benefits include:
PCCA has also experienced several quantitative benefits from implementation of the EMS program in which a direct cost savings can be calculated. Two of these quantitative benefits are:
Lessons Learned During Development PCCA learned several lessons during the development and implementation of the EMS program. Some of the key lessons learned include:
PCCA is in the process of applying for ISO 14001 Certification of our EMS program. To assist with this process PCCA has contracted with National Quality Assurance for registration services. PCCA hopes to have our EMS Program ISO 14001 Certified by August 2007. In the future, PCCA also intends to expand the fence line to other areas and operations within the Port.
Sarah L. Garza, Environmental Management Representative (361) 885-6163
|
The Bulk Terminal consists of Bulk Dock #1, Bulk Dock #2, a public storage pad, and a maintenance facility. It is located on the north side of the Tule Lake Channel in the Inner Harbor. Coal, ore, minerals, and other dry bulk commodities can be discharged directly from vessels to railcars or trucks at Bulk Dock #1. This facility can also be used to load vessels when special handling is required. Coal, petroleum coke, and other dry bulk commodities can be loaded directly to vessels from bottom dump railcars, dump trucks, or storage at Bulk Dock #2. Port personnel maintain the cranes and conveyor system and equipment associated with the loading and unloading activities. 
The Cold Storage Facility is a state-of-the-art 100,000-SF refrigerated dockside facility. It serves many import and export markets of North America, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia. It is a full-service operation, providing everything from blast freezing, repacking and warehousing to national and international distribution. The facility has three rooms, two of which can be converted to from freezer to chill space, and enclosed, temperature-controlled rail, truck, and ship docks that allow for quick, efficient transport.
ong all our employees,
as well as improve teamwork and interdepartmental coordination through the development and implementation of an EMS. PCCA hopes that an EMS will create a proactive attitude to help improve operational efficiency and pollution prevention. Improving operational efficiency would also reduce operational costs.
PCCA shop floor employees initiated a port wide recycling program in January 2005 including cardboard, paper, and plastic. In 2006, 122,560-lbs of cardboard and 19,800-lbs of plastic have been recycled. This equates to a total of 230,315-pounds of waste materials that have not gone to a landfill since the program started in 2005.
One of the significant aspects of our operations was the use of janitorial chemicals that are discharged to the sanitary system. An environmental management program was established for the aspect that included using the chemicals in the appropriate quantities as indicated in the directions and utilizing measuring devices to ensure that the appropriate quantity is being used. We are currently recording the amounts used to develop a baseline but initial reports from employees indicate a significant reduction in the amount of chemicals being used.
